I
saw a commercial today that advertised a product that eliminates our desire to
eat sweets. What a wonder-less world we would live in without sweet, salty and
sour. God gave us this diverse tasting system to bless our soul, as well as our
taste buds.
There
are healthy alternatives to white cane sugar, which is the real addictive
product that is so harmful to our health. Dates, bananas, applesauce, coconut
sugar, local honey, Erythritol, and Stevia are among the best alternatives.
They sweeten everything from marshmallows to ice cream, with cakes, cookies and
pies in between.
God
gives us wholesome alternatives to a life filled with an unholy addiction to
sin too. The sweet allure of our desires demands satisfaction, and we often
fall into its temptation. Yet, there is a whole other world that satisfies our
soul, and causes sin to lose its attraction over us.
Some
of these stress busters include sports, fishing, gardening, the arts of music and
pottery and painting and crafts, exercise from biking to boating to hiking to dancing
and the gym, restoring old cars, hobbies like board or word games, and others
such as Tiddley Winks to chess tournaments and video gaming, as well as sewing,
and needlework from knitting to embroidery to cross stitching.
These
are just a few examples of ways to fill our time with wholesome hobbies.
Another pursuit is to feed our spirit with personal Bible reading, and
meditation on verses that speak to us each day; worship attendance, Christian fellowship,
and various ministries to our community; sharing Christ with the lost, etc.
God
has a perfect plan for each individual life (Ephesians 2:10), and walking in
His will each day guarantees both our success and His continual blessings in
our life. Daily obedience to the Holy Spirit's guidance, wisdom, power, and
unity with the Trinity within us will lead us to a deeper union with God.
Prayer:
Father
God, every good and perfect gift that we receive on this earth is from You.
Even our paycheck, bonuses, overtime, etc. come from You. You provide us with
all of our needs, as well as extra blessings that fill our soul with joy. Help
us to find holy alternatives to carnal pursuits, so that we do not grieve You
and ruin our fellowship with You. Your love is sustaining, Your power is
creative, Your peace is invasive, and Your plans are eternal.
Remind
us that there is nothing to fear on this earth, because nothing can separate us
from Your love: not the trials of life, spiritual powers, the past or the
future, no mountain top or deep valley of circumstances, no created thing and
not even death (Jeremiah 42:11; Romans 8:38-39). Thank You for continually
hiding us in the depth of Your love (Acts 17:11).
Thought
for the Day:
Our
carnality decreases as our reliance on Christ in us increases; His Holy Spirit
sanctifies us from one stage of glory to the next, until our light shines out
into the darkness of this world; a city set on a hill cannot be hidden, and we will
not fade away either, as the light of Christ in us shines ever brighter every
day.
